A place for beer drinkers of Asheville and Western North Carolina to exchange news and share their opinions about anything to do with beer.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

On Tap - Wedge Brewing

Lets say you have a dilemma. You and a group of friends want to go out for a beer. One friend chimes in that he likes lagers. Another says, oh I like dark beers. A third person claims his or her love of belgians. And you, loyal reader, like to drink locally made beer. Well, Wedge brewing can easily solve your problem. They currently have eight beers on tap. Two belgians, two dark beers, two lagers, and a pale ale and an IPA. You can't get much more variety than that.

One of the newer beers on tap at the Wedge is the Oatmeal Stout. The oatmeal gives the stout a bit of chewiness in the mouthfeel, and the beer is being run on a nitrous tap, giving it a Guinness like creaminess, although with more flavor than the ubiquitous Irish brew. This is a great beer to have as the weather gets cooler.

If stouts aren't your thing, then maybe a nice crisp lager will do the trick. The Helles Bock has been available for a couple of months now, and it has a nice caramel malt taste, making it a little more complex than your typical lager.

One of the belgians that Wedge has available is the Abbey Ale. The Abbey is a Belgian Dubbel, and the highlight of this style is the sweet malt character. The yeast for this beer also comes into play, giving the beer some fruitiness. This is a highly drinkable belgian style ale.

Other beers on tap at the Wedge include the Payne's Pale Ale, the Iron Rail IPA, the Community Porter, the Zatec Pilsner, and the Golem. Each beer is distinctive, and I am sure that you shouldn't have any trouble finding one that suits your taste.